Panthers vs. Falcons: Score, Twitter Reaction as Carolina Clinches NFC South

The story of the 2014 NFC South won't be one for the history books, but don't tell the Carolina Panthers that they don't matter. It wasn't always pretty during the season, yet the Panthers did enough to secure a spot in the postseason following a dominant 34-3 win over the Atlanta Falcons in Week 17 at the Georgia Dome.    

The Panthers had some fun on Twitter after the victory. First, the team threw out the obligatory celebration tweet and one of Ron Rivera getting a Gatorade bath:

The best tweet from the Panthers came at the expense of the team, at least as far as its regular-season record is concerned:

It may come as a surprise to see that the Panthers are tied with the Dallas Cowboys for the second-longest winning streak in the NFC entering the playoffs, behind the Seattle Seahawks. Rivera's team won its last four games to capture a division title for the second consecutive season. 

In the process, Carolina became the first team to win the NFC South in back-to-back years for the first time since the NFL expanded to an eight-division format, via Trey Wingo of ESPN: 

Cam Newton continues his late-season surge, picking apart an Atlanta defense that has been overmatched all season. The former No. 1 overall pick was creating plays, even when the Falcons were getting pressure, as noted by NFL Network's Albert Breer:

That's been the story for Carolina during this run. Newton entered this game with 195 yards on the ground in his last three games and added another 51 Sunday, along with a rushing touchdown.

Newton isn't merely a threat with his legs, though, as he's also shown a knack for throwing the ball consistently.

He's pushed through injuries this season, which have hurt his numbers, but in the previous five games before Sunday, he had 1,219 passing yards and nine touchdown passes. He finished the day an efficient 10-of-16 for 114 yards and a score as Carolina won the possession battle and dominated defensively.

One surprising stat for Newton coming into this game was his record in December, which was pointed out by ESPN Stats & Info:

"

Most wins by a QB in December & January- last 4 seasons Tom Brady 16, Cam Newton 13

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) December 28, 2014"

You can add one more to Newton's record with this victory. 

Rivera talked about what has been different about his team down the stretch in a conference call with the Atlanta media on Christmas Day, via D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

"

More than anything else we’ve had some continuity for once. Up until that point we had started eight different offensive lines. Now, we’ve had the same group of guys start together for three straight games.

Defensively, we settled in on what our secondary seems to be. Those guys have played three straight games together. We’ve got our running game going again with a healthy Jonathan Stewart back there.

"

It sounds simplistic to say, but the NFL is like jazz. Everything has to be working in concise order to make the music work. The Panthers have gotten healthy and figured out which roles work best for certain players. The results show that Rivera's comments hold water. 

As much credit as Newton deserves for reviving Carolina's offense, the defensive turnaround late in the year has been just as important. Since allowing 31 points against Minnesota in Week 13, Rivera's defense has allowed 43 points during this winning streak. 

They forced three turnovers and held Atlanta to just 288 total yards on the day.

You can question the competition from the previous two weeks against Tampa Bay and Cleveland, but the Falcons entered Week 17 tied for ninth in scoring average (25.2 per game) and had arguably the league's best receiver in Julio Jones, who had 1,535 yards when the day started. He finished with 58 yards on four catches.

Matt Ryan was on fire in the previous four games, as this graphic from the NFL on CBS shows:

The Falcons offensive line didn't help out its quarterback, basically letting Carolina's defensive line into the backfield all day, including one instance that forced a pick-six by Roman Harper, via SportsCenter:

Ryan also threw another interception that Tre Boston returned for a touchdown in the third quarter. Per ESPN Stats & Info, that was Ryan's fourth interception returned for a touchdown this season and put him in some dubious company:

Carolina's defensive line hasn't generated the same pass rush this year that it did in 2013, but Charles Johnson continues to love playing Atlanta, via Jonathan Jones of The Charlotte Observer:

Johnson had two quarterback hits and one sack in the first half when the Panthers broke out to a 24-3 lead. The Falcons had no answers once they got behind, and the Panthers kept bringing the pressure on both sides of the ball. 

The NFC South has been a roller coaster this year, no question. But don't sleep on the Panthers in the Wild Card Round. They may not be consistent enough in the red zone to beat one of the top teams, but there's historical evidence that a team under .500 can win in the playoffs. 

This Panthers team is arguably better than the 2010 Seattle Seahawks group that upset New Orleans. Newton has saved his best football for late in the year, as has the defense. When you have a quarterback playing well and a physical defense, games should be close at the end. That's all you can ask for in the playoffs. 

For the Falcons, the disappointing loss at home with a playoff spot on the line will do little to quiet the criticism surrounding head coach Mike Smith. It will be interesting to see how the team navigates the offseason as it plans for a turnaround in 2015.

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